Upper Falls is a 55-foot waterfall on the upper Gros Ventre River in Teton County, Wyoming, deep in the Gros Ventre Wilderness of Bridger-Teton National Forest. It sits on the river's wild segment above Darwin Ranch and is reached only by backcountry trail.
The falls
The waterfall drops about 55 feet in two steps of roughly equal stature, with the upper plunge measuring about 25 feet. An earlier survey listed 120 feet. The feature stands alongside nearby Ouzel Falls as a notable geologic and scenic point along the Gros Ventre's wild river corridor.
Getting there
A backcountry trail parallels the river between Darwin Ranch and the Gros Ventre Divide, providing access toward Upper Falls. Backpackers have reached the falls via an August loop of about 22 miles starting from the Kinky Creek trailhead, reached from Jackson by following 40 Rod Road. Darwin Ranch is a private guest ranch; a 2019 guided trip from the ranch vicinity walked 5 miles along the river to a camp within sight of the falls, with pack horses carrying the gear.
When to go
Both documented trips took place in mid-August.
On site
The guided group camped a few hundred yards from the falls and could hear them from camp. The backpacker found the river too deep to cross near the falls, with thick brush on the far bank. This is remote wilderness with no developed facilities.
History and name
The Gros Ventre valley was a main travel route into Jackson Hole; President Chester Arthur's 1883 expedition came down it on the way to Yellowstone, and homesteads including Darwin Ranch followed in the early 1900s.
Nearby
Bear Cabin Creek Falls is about 0.5 mile away, Ouzel Falls, also on the Gros Ventre, about 2.2 miles, and Shoal Falls about 7.4 miles.
Distances are straight-line.